Courtney

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This article is about the surname and given name. For places named Courtney or Courtenay and other uses, see Courtney (disambiguation).
Courtney
GenderUnisex, originally male, now primarily female except in African American culture
Origin
Word/nameNorman, Old French, Irish
Region of originEngland, Ireland
Other names
Related namesCortney, Courteney, Courtenay, Kourtney, Courtnay, Courteny

Courtney is a name of Old French origin, introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It has two quite distinct interpretations: firstly, the surname may be locational, from places called Courtenay in the regions of Loiret and Gâtinais. The House of Courtenay was a significant French family with close association with both the French, and thereby, English royal lines; in England the Courtenays were Earls of Devon.

Secondly, in some cases, bearers of the surname may be of Irish descent, since Courtney is also an Anglicized form of the Gaelic "O'Curnain", descendant of Curnan, from an Old Irish personal name of obscure origins. Recordings of the name from London Church Registers include: the christening of Thomas Courtney at All Hallows, London Wall, on 11 November 1569, and the marriage of William Courtney and Mary Lucas on 22 March 1590, at St Dunstan's, Stepney. John Courtney and his wife, Sybill, were early immigrants to America, leaving London on the Paule in July 1635, bound for Virginia. An early coat of arms granted to the family depicts a blue fesse between three torteaux on a gold shield. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Reginald de Curtenay, which was dated 1164, in "Feudal Documents from the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds", Suffolk, during the reign of King Henry II.

People with the surname[]

People with the given name[]

Courtney was used as a given name for men beginning at least as far back as the 17th century (e.g. the British Member of Parliament Sir Courtney Pool, 1677).[1] As a given name for women, however, it gained wide acceptance only in the years following the 1956 publication of Pamela Moore's novel "Chocolates for Breakfast", whose protagonist Courtney Farrell sometimes wishes she had been born a man.[2]

Female[]

Male[]

Fictional characters[]

  • Courtney Chetwynde, from D.J. MacHale's Pendragon series
  • Courtney Crimsen, character in the novel and Netflix TV series 13 Reasons Why
  • Courtney Crumrin, character in a comic book series written and illustrated by Ted Naifeh and released through Oni Press
  • Courtney Farrell, protagonist of the 1956 best-seller Chocolates for Breakfast by Pamela Moore (author)
  • Courtney Gripling, character in the Nickelodeon animated series As Told By Ginger
  • Sergeant Hatred, character whose real name is Courtney Haine, on the adult animated series The Venture Bros.
  • Courtney Heironimus, mobile suit pilot from the fictional Gundam metaseries
  • Courtney A. Krieger (Cover Girl (G.I. Joe)), a character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero themed toy line of the 1980s
  • Courtney Matthews, heroine on the ABC soap opera General Hospital
  • Courtney Mitchell, character in the British soap opera EastEnders
  • Courtney Ross, fictional character from Marvel Comics
  • Courtney Whitmore, superheroine Stargirl in the DC Comics Universe
  • Courtney Lane, a character from the 2009 musical TV film Spectacular!
  • Courtney, a character from the Canadian animated series Total Drama
  • Courtney Shane, antagonist in film Jawbreaker

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ The Parliamentary History of ENGLAND. T.C. Hansard, Peterborough-Court, Fleet-Street. 1808. p. 874.
  2. ^ Robert Nedelkoff (1997). "Pamela Moore Plus Forty". The Baffler (10): 104–117. Archived from the original on 2012-10-28. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
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